Another Shot at Family
by P. Skarlor
Summary: A bright young man, his family taken from him at a young age, finds himself in the middle of nowhere with no memory of how he got there or even who he is. He crosses paths with Mr. and Mrs. Watterson and the couple show him the first sliver of kindness he's ever known. Having only known a life of misery, the Wattersons show him what life could really be like. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1: The Breakdown

**DISCLAIMERS:**

 **\- I DO NOT claim ownership of 'The Amazing World of Gumball'. I am using this intellectual property under 'Fair Use' as described in US code 17 section 107 (Copyright Act of 1976). I only claim ownership of the plot line.**

 **\- My work contains some mature language (I.E. swearing/cursing). If the occasional 'F' bomb really bothers you, then you might not want to read my writing.**

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 **Hello everyone! Fair warning: this is my very first Fanfic... actually it's my first piece of creative writing, so keep that in mind when reading. Any comments or criticism is welcome. If you have something to say about my writing, even if you think it sucks, please let me know! anyway, on to the story!**

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It was a cool, damp night on February 14th. The light pitter patter of rain bouncing off tree leaves, crickets loudly chirping, and a soft birdcall are just some of the peaceful sounds that could be heard along the windy country road. It seemed like nothing would dare disturb this relaxing scene, save for one familiar looking yellow wood-paneled station wagon thundering down the pavement. The six cylinders of its engine screaming for dear life (well, they would be if pistons could scream) as the driver commanded the vehicle down the road at unsafe speeds. Her foot pressed hard against the accelerator, hands griping the wheel to the point of discomfort, and a look of murderous rage in her eyes.

Beside the driver, a large man dressed in a white shirt, a clip-on tie, and white underwear sat uncomfortably. He glanced over at the driver – his wife – and saw that her scowl hadn't changed a bit since the restaurant. He shifted in his seat, trying desperately to think of something – anything at all – to break the tension with his wife. With a deep sigh, he finally opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by the woman.

"Not another word, Richard. I just want to drive home, go to bed and forget this train wreck of an evening ever happened" growled the driver.

"Honey, look… I'm sorry. It's just that… I just… I was so hungry!" replied Richard, nervously playing with his tie. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could, bracing for his wife's reply.

"So you thought it was a good idea to eat the table?!" she snapped back.

She down shifted the car's transmission with a swift angry snap of the wrist, causing the already pained engine to whine even louder. The car lurched onward, going even faster now. The light rain slamming against the windshield sounded like boulders punching the car as it whizzed along at upwards of 80 miles per hour.

"Nicole, you know how hungry I get! And besides, the waiter hadn't come to the table for like, 7 minutes!" Richard answered.

"Gee, I wonder why?! Was it the loud groans of hunger that drove him off? Or was it the massive drooling buffoon who ate their entire supply of bread in one sitting, only to demand more?!" Nicole retorted with an eye twitch. "Not to mention your lack of pants!"

"But I don't have any that fit me!" defended Richard "I ordered some pants off Shmamazon but they weren't delivered in time for th-"

"Damnit Richard!" interrupted Nicole, slamming her fist against the steering wheel, causing the horn to sound. "I mean for fuck's sake! Do you have any idea what this'll do to my reputation? No doubt someone recorded it on their phone, and it's only a matter of time until that video reaches my boss!"

The old 70's station wagon was really beginning to feel the strain of Nicole's aggressive driving habits. A dull rattling began to emanate from the engine compartment, but Nicole was far too wrapped up in her rant to notice.

"I've been pulling triple shifts for the past 5 weeks now! With our money problems you know damn well how much I need that promotion!" Nicole shouted.

"I-I'm sorry honey." Richard said meekly "I J-Just wa-"

"Is sorry gonna put our daughter through college?" she snapped back.

"Well… no..." Richard responded weakly.

"uuuggh! That was rhetorical!" Nicole said. Richard gave her a confused look, not knowing that last word his wife said.

"Just… please stop talking, okay?" Nicole said a little calmer.

Richard simply nodded his head, not wanting to enrage his wife any further. She could be downright terrifying when she was angry. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he could tell when his wife was about to tear him a new one. Her famous anger had earned her the title of 'the living embodiment of evil' amongst the townspeople. Angering her was bad enough, but on Valentine's Day at an upscale restaurant was a whole different story. On top of her ruined evening, she had a $500 charge to pay to replace the table, $200 for Richard's public indecency, and the indelible image of dozens of eyes glued to her and Richard as he devoured a solid oak dining table. She shuddered at that last thought.

About 10 minutes passed without either of them saying a word. Richard was deep in thought, trying to think of some way to make it up to his wife. He racked his brain for ideas, but most of them involved spending a large sum of money (which, considering the situation at Nicole's job would only make matters worse). A thought crossed his mind. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to his son.

 _'Hey buddy. I kinda blew the date with mom. Think you could help me make a cake or something to apologize?'_

 _'Alright dad. But not tonight, I got way too much homework'_ his son replied.

 _'Thanks bud. I owe you one!'_ Richard responded.

He put his phone away as he leaned back in the seat, finally able to let himself relax for the first time in nearly 20 minutes. It was only now that Richard noticed the rattling noise coming from the engine. Another few minutes passed and the noise only got louder. They were still a fairly long ways away from home, and there didn't seem to be anyone around who could help them incase their car broke down.

"Uh… Nicole? Do you hear that?" asked Richard.

"Hear what?" said Nicole.

"That thumping sound" answered Richard "it sounds like it's coming from the engine".

"I'll take it to the mechanic's tomorrow" Nicole said with a sigh. An expensive repair bill for the car was really the last thing she needed. The rattling noise was getting pretty loud. It sounded like something was slamming against the hood rapidly, but Nicole didn't give the poor engine a break. She just wanted to get home as quickly as possible and go to bed. However, as fate would demand, sleep would have to wait. A loud 'snap!' shook the car, startling both Richard and Nicole. As soon as they heard the snap, the rattling stopped. Both Richard and Nicole, neither being very handy with cars, simply shrugged assuming the problem fixed itself.

A few uneventful minutes passed as the car purred nicely along, still going quite fast. Richard was beginning the fall asleep when he was jolted awake by a loud pop, followed by a violent lurch from the car. A few seconds passed, and a loud bang came from the exhaust pipe. Then another bang, followed by a few other terrible sounding noises as the car quickly began to lose speed. The headlights dimmed and flickered rapidly, and after another half minute the car rolled to a stop perched halfway up a steep hill.

"You have got to be joking…" Nicole said flatly. She turned the key, trying to restart the engine. It revved weakly a few times, but didn't ignite. She tried again, but still the engine wouldn't start. The soft plinking of the rain as it hit the steel roof of the car was the only sound the two of them could hear. Without the illuminating glow of the car's headlights, the only source of light was the moon shining through the rain-soaked windshield.

"Richard, hand me your phone" she said, turning towards her husband. He reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out the glowing rectangle and handed it to Nicole. With a few taps of the screen, she opened up a browser to search for a tow truck service. _'Results unavailable: check signal'_ was the only thing that came up. "Great… no signal" she grumbled, handing the device back to her husband.

"M-maybe someone will come along and help?" offered Richard quietly, still a little wary of his wife's anger.

Before she could answer, a tap on the side of the glass window startled them both. Peering out of the car, a dimly lit set of blueish gray eyes stared back at the couple. As their eyes adjusted to the moonlight, they saw a large, dark figure standing next to Richard's window. It motioned for them to roll the window down.


	2. Chapter 2: The Hitchhiker

**Chapter 2 already? A mere hour after posting?! well.. to be fair i did type half of the second chapter before posting the 1st one. Don't get used to updates happening so quickly though, but i'll try to maintain the story with reasonable updates.**

 **fair warning: this chapter gets a little tiny bit technical with car terms, so if you get confused have google ready.**

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"See honey? Everything's going to be fine" Richard said with a smile, pleased at the perfect timing of the arrival of the stranger. He quickly rolled the window down.

"h-hitchhike?" said a meek, raspy sounding voice. The stranger's face, now fully light up by the moon, had a hopeful expression on his face.

"Huh?" asked Nicole, not quite hearing the stranger from the other side of the car.

"h-hitchhike" repeated the stranger with a bit more volume to his voice. "I-I saw car s-top. Th-th-thought y-you could take m-me" he stammered.

Nicole stared at the stranger for a minute. He looked like he'd been through hell. He wore a long, dark brown overcoat with a long tear down the left arm. A tattered pair of tan cargo short and some rough worn looking boots adorned his lower half. There were remnants of an orange shirt under the coat, but they looked more like random bits of fabric than a shirt. His coat was burned in places, almost as though he'd been through a fire. Something about him seemed… almost innocent. Nicole couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something inside her was telling her that this stranger wasn't a threat. Regardless, she decided to take the more cautious path and turned the stranger away, following common sense rather than her gut instinct.

"Even if we were offering you a ride – which we're not – we can't go anywhere "Nicole said sternly, "Our car broke down and I can't seem to get any cellphone signal to call for help" she continued, looking the stranger dead in the eye. She wasn't about to let some random dirty bum into her car, especially at night. He could be some psychotic killer for all she knew.

"O-h… s-sorry for b-b-bothering." the stranger said as he sadly turned away. He started to walk back into the darkness with a noticeable limp in his left foot. The town was roughly 12 miles away, and with a limp like that it'd take him well into the morning to get there.

"Wait!" said Nicole, feeling a bit ashamed to brush the man off so quickly after seeing his foot. The stranger turned his head back towards the car and shuffled back up to the window. "Look… if you can help us get moving again… we'll give you a ride to the next bus station". She doubted the stranger could find them a mechanic or tow truck, especially at this hour, but he was probably the only other person around for miles and their only source of assistance.

The stranger's eyes lit up a little. "Th-thank y-ou ma'am" he said. "I d-don't know a-a-any m-mechanics near, B-but I can f-fix c-car m-maybe?" he offered, looking at the hood of the car.

"Really?" Nicole said, not really believing that some random, seemingly homeless man on the side of a road could fix something as complex as an engine. But it was worth a shot. After all, the car wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "Well... give it a try I guess" she said hesitantly.

"p-pop the hood" stuttered the stranger, nodding his head towards the front of the car. Nicole obliged, and reached down for the lever next to her foot. The hood opened with a dull 'clunk' as the stranger put his hand underneath it to pull it up.

The dim moonlight was just enough to allow the stranger to see what he was doing. He scanned the engine bay, looking for anything obvious. Not seeing anything immediately, he craned his neck around the open hood, looking at Nicole.

' _Well... I don't see anything obvious. Maybe there's an issue with the alternator?_ ' the stranger thought to himself.

"s-start c-ar again p-p-please" he said. Nicole turned the key again and again the engine weakly revved but refused to start. With the hood open, a loud squeaking could be heard as she turned the key. The alternator – the thing that both starts the car and keeps the battery charged – was slipping on a lose drive belt. Without a solid connection to the belt, the alternator can't keep the battery charged up. It's a pretty simple fix to adjust the belt's tensioner with a set of pliers or a wrench.

"L-loose b-belt" the man informed Nicole and Richard. The pair gave a blank look to the stranger, not really knowing what he was referring to. Out of his pocket, he pulled a small silver multi-tool. With a snap of the wrist, he opened up a small wrench and placed it on a nut. With a few stiff turns of the tool, he began to adjust the alternator's belt tensioner. With a pleased look on his face, he raised his arms up and pulled the hood down with a loud slam.

"Fixed already?" asked Richard, shocked that he could fix their car in such a short amount of time. Nicole had a similar look of surprise on her face.

"N-not quite" the stranger answered "g-g-gotta bump s-start". He received another blank stare from the couple. With a deep sigh, he began to explain. "T-the a-a-alternator b-b-belt's l-loose. I-It Slipped." The stranger paused to gather his thoughts. It was clearly a struggle for him to speak. "B-battery drained."

"Wait… the battery's dead?!" exclaimed Nicole. She didn't know much about cars, but she did know a dead battery meant they weren't going anywhere. "And… what's a 'bump-start' exactly?"

"N-n-not dead, j-just l-low" clarified the stranger "a-and b-bump s-s-s-start is r-rolling car to t-t-turn e-engine" he continued.

"Like… rolling the car down this hill?" asked Richard, a bit skeptical of the whole idea. The stranger nodded his head.

"G-g-gotta t-turn k-key when r-rolling" stated the stranger. ' _I really hope this works'_ thought the stranger to himself.

"That's it? Seems pretty simple" Nicole said, pleased that the apparent fix was so quick. The stranger grinned, happy that he could help.

"J-just s-s-shift to re-re-reverse. R-roll down h-h-ill" instructed the stranger to Nicole. She wasn't sure if it would work, but what other option was there?

"Alright… let's do this" Nicole said, with a hint of doubt in her voice. She grabbed the gear lever, and pushed it to 'R'. Slowly, she released the parking break as she turned the key. The old station wagon slowly crept back down the hill. The engine revved weakly once again, still with no signs of starting. As the car picked up speed, the revving got a little louder and livelier. A loud sputter came from the engine. It was clearly trying to come back to life, but it needed a bit more push to finally get started.

"Nicole, I think… I think it's working!" Richard said with a grin, looking at his wife. She returned his smile with a look of hope.

As the car gained more speed, the sputtering got louder and more frequent. It was only a matter of time until the old engine would roar back into the world of the living. Its six little pistons pumping vigorously now as the car passed 20mph. With a final belch from the engine, it croaked to life. A loud, celebratory whistle came from the stranger further up the hill. He was ecstatic that, not only was he able to get the car running, but that he'd also get a ride back to civilization.

Nicole shifted the car back into drive. Not wanting to cause another belt slip, she cautiously hit the accelerator with her big toe. There was still a slight squealing noise coming from the engine, as the belt still slipped a little bit, but it was turning enough to keep the engine running. As the car chugged triumphantly up the hill, Nicole stopped next to the stranger and motioned for him to hop in the back seat.

With a firm 'thump' from the rear door closing, the stranger looked at both Richard and Nicole with a smile. "T-thank y-you" he stuttered. He really was relived to be out of that damn rain, and even more happy that he could rest his weary, injured leg.

With a smile, Richard spoke up. "Thank YOU Mister! You really saved our bacon back there!" he said with glee. A look of ecstasy suddenly overtook Richards face as he stared off into nothingness. "mmmmm… bacon..." he said absentmindedly, thinking of thick cuts of yummy, juicy pig belly. The stranger simply smiled back at the rabbit.

Nicole glanced in the rear-view mirror, looking at the new passenger. He'd fallen asleep, not even 30 seconds after getting in the warm, dry car. No doubt he'd been walking for hours before they picked him up. She smiled to herself. "Yeah... It was pretty lucky we found him" she said turning towards Richard. He agreed with a vigorous nod, after snapping out of his bacon-induced trance.

Nicole looked back at the stranger, a hint of melancholy washing over her. Something about this strange man seemed… almost childlike and vulnerable. A feeling that she needed to care for this stranger was beginning to fill her heart, though she had no idea why. She'd never even seen this person until about 10 minutes ago. Was it motherly instinct? Was it simply the right thing to do? She really didn't know. All she knew is that he needed help.


	3. Chapter 3: The Wound

**Well, here's chapter 3. It was done sooner than i expected TBH.**

 **I'm still pretty new to writing, so i'm a bit unsure about the consistency of my work. I feel like the pacing (i hope i'm using that term right) in this chapter slowed down a little compared to chapters 1 and 2, so sorry if it feels like the story is getting slower. I'd really like some feedback regarding that.**

 **also, i'm still looking for beta readers. anyway, onto the 3rd chapter :)**

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The old yellow car rode quietly– apart from the squeaky belt – as it rumbled down the country road. The rain had picked up noticeably since the stranger got in the car. The once dull, calm pitter patter of the rain hitting the car had turned into a loud, low drone. The sounds of crickets and birds were long gone, either being drowned out by the rain or due to the animals seeking shelter from the storm. Still being cautious to not make the belt slip again, Nicole drove the car at a gentle pace, slowly winding down the curvy road. The occasional 'whoosh' of the wheels piercing though the deep puddles of water could be heard over the rainy background noise. She glanced down at the speedometer. The needle was barley cresting 35. ' _It'll be at least another 20 minutes 'till we get home at this pace'_ Nicole thought to herself.

Both Nicole and Richard refrained from speaking for a few minutes, for fear of waking the passenger in the back seat. Confirmation of the stranger's state of sleep came when the pair heard a soft snore from the back. Nicole again checked the rear-view mirror to look at the stranger, keeping one eye on the road ahead. Her mind was trying to make sense of this whole situation. ' _He's just some random drifter_ ' Nicole thought to herself. ' _And now he's sleeping in the back seat of my car. Am I going crazy or something?'_ She was still in slight disbelief that she'd let him in the car.

As the car rounded another corner, Nicole's train of thought was interrupted at the sight of a large vehicle with flashing orange lights blocking the road. A long line of cars, their red taillights shining intensely though the wet windshield, were lined up behind the orange flashing vehicle. Applying the brakes gently, Nicole brought the car to a halt right behind a stopped car.

The stranger stirred, awoken by the lack of movement. "w-why s-stop-p?" he asked Nicole.

"Looks like a traffic jam" she stated. Between the rain covering the windshield and the light fog that had now covered the landscape, it was hard to make out what exactly was going on. "I can't really see what the holdup is though" Nicole said, squinting her eyes.

"I got this" Richard stated. He pulled something out from under the seat. It looked like a pair of empty toilet paper tubes taped together, forming something that looked like binoculars. "Hmm…" he said, staring intently though the cardboard tubes, with a slight frown on his face. "Seems like there was an accident. Looks like a bus lost control, slid off the road and plowed into a tree." He removed the cardboard tubes from his face and turned to Nicole. "Here. Take a look" he said, shoving the cardboard object into her face.

Before she could object, she found herself looking though the cardboard binoculars. A crystal clear, black and white image of the scene stared back at her eyes. Small bits of text were scattered over the view through the binoculars. Things like range, battery status, and temperature information were clearly visible. She could see a bus, its front end embedded deep into a tree. It looked pretty gruesome. The orange flashing lights were coming from a large tow truck. A flurry of activity from emergency and recovery personnel could be seen from around the accident area. "Jeez… looks pretty bad" Nicole said softly. As she removed the binoculars from her face, she was reminded that the advanced set of night-vision optics she held were nothing more than two toilet paper roll tubes. A look of shock and confusion filled her face. "Wait… what the… h-how in the hell is this thing working?!" she exclaimed, looking down at the device.

"Oh that dumb thing? I found instructions to make it on the back of a box of Daisy flakes." Richard said nonchalantly. "It was part of a promotion for that spy movie that came out a few months ago…"

"But…but this is just cardboard from a toilet paper roll!" Nicole said, still stunned at what she just saw.

"Well no duh! It's meant to be constructed by little kids! " countered Richard "I mean… they wouldn't have designed it with an actual military grade night-vision system! A child's imagination is good enough for a silly little toy like this"

"B-but it… I... oh never mind" Nicole said, defeated. She handed the cardboard tubes back to Richard, still confused at how that thing worked. "Anyway… it looks like a bus lost control and ran off the road into a tree. There's a pretty big tow truck trying to move it, but it looks like it'll be there for a while" Nicole stated. "So… I guess were stuck here for now". Her eyes drifted back up to rearview mirror and saw the stranger. "Ya know… I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves yet" she stated. She reached up to turn on the interior car lights so the three could see each other better.

Nicole turned her head back to look at the stranger. With the light of the interior now shining clearly on the stranger, it was the first chance either Nicole or Richard got a decent look at the man. Two large, white buck teeth protruded from under the stranger's upper lip. He was covered head to toe in thick, brown fur matted in places with dried mud. A smooth, rounded, flat tail poked out from behind his back. He was clearly a beaver of some kind. He looked pretty young, perhaps no more than 19 or 20 years old.

"The name's Nicole Watterson" she said, offering her hand to shake the stranger's.

The stranger took her hand with a solid handshake. "N-nice t-to meet you, m-m-m-Mrs. Wat-t-terson" he stammered.

"And I'm Richard, Nicole's husband. Nice to meet you!" Richard chimed in cheerily. He waved his hand happily at the stranger. The stranger returned his wave with a smile.

"N-n-nice to meet y-you t-too s-s-sir" he said to Richard. "M-my n-name is… is… uhh…" the calm expression on his face was replaced by a look of worry and panic. "It's… uhh…umm… I… d-don't r-remember" he stammered, embarrassed. He looked down at his feet, trying to hide the embarrassment that was clearly visible on his face. He reached his hands up and placed them on his head, trying to further shield himself. A sharp pain shot across the left side of his head like a bolt of lightning as he touched it. He quickly pulled his left hand away, seething in pain. He felt something damp on his hand. Looking down, he saw a bright crimson smear of blood on his palm. His thick fur and patches of mud had disguised the open head wound up until now.

"Y-your head! Are you Okay?" worriedly exclaimed Nicole, noticing the red smear on the stranger's hand. The open wound looked pretty fresh, probably happening in the past hour or so. Nicole quickly scanned the interior of the car, looking for something to cover up the stranger's injury. The first thing that caught her eye was Richard's clip-on tie. "Richard, give me your tie" she said flatly, reaching her left arm out towards the rabbit.

"My tie?" Richard asked, confused. "What do you need it for?"

"Quickly Richard!" Nicole demanded with a bit more force behind her words. She made a grabbing motion with her outstretched hand.

Richard, sensing the urgency in her voice, obeyed the command and removed his tie. Placing the black tie in his wife's hand, he watched as she tore the tie in half, placing one of the pieces off to the side. She quickly unrolled the window and stuck the other half of the tie out into the pouring rain. It was soon drenched with water, along with Nicole's entire left side of her body. After rolling the window back up, she brought the dripping cloth over to the stranger's head.

The stranger, not sure what Nicole was doing, moved his head back and away from the wet cloth.

"Sit still. We gotta rinse that cut out" said Nicole firmly. The stranger complied and sat perfectly motionless as he allowed her to gently clean his head wound with the wet chunk of tie. It stung a little, but he held his fists in a tight ball to combat the pain. After a few seconds, she removed the make-shift wash cloth from his head. She stuck it out the window again to rinse the old blood off and made a second pass over the wound with the freshly dampened cloth. Tossing the wet rag to the side, she picked up the other half of the tie. "Here. Use this and keep pressure on the wound" she said as she handed the other half to the stranger.

Holding the black chunk of cloth over his head, he looked up at Nicole. "Th-thank you m-ma'am" he said, gratefully. The tie was beginning to get damp with fresh blood, and the sensation of the fabric tie on the raw skin stung pretty badly, but the stranger bit his lip and kept the makeshift bandage pressed firmly to his head.

"Not at all" Said Nicole with a smile. "And no need for this 'ma'am' nonsense. Just call me Nicole".

The stranger simply nodded in reply. He was still a little dumbfounded at Nicole's actions though. ' _What's up with the tie thing?_ ' the stranger wondered to himself. ' _I mean… I'm thankful she cleaned the gash… but like… ripping her husband's tie in half to dress a stranger's injury?'_ The stranger had a slightly puzzled look on his face as he contemplated the events of the past few minutes.


	4. Chapter 4: The Mud

**Well... here's chapter 4! Fair warning: Richard throws up in this chapter (and i kinda described it for like 3 paragraphs). Keep this in mind if you get queasy easily.**

 **some of the stuff i wrote originally for chapter 3 made it's way into chapter 4, (the bit about the off-roading was originally ch3, in case you were wondering) but there's still a bit of leftover ch3 material for chapter 5. Also some of the stuff i originally wrote for chapter 5 was added to chapter 4. The last 4 or so paragraphs were originally ch 5 stuff, but i decided to tack them onto the end of ch4 as it made WAAAYY more sense.**

 **anyway, please enjoy!**

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The stranger sat silently in the back seat of the car, still thinking about how Nicole patched his wound up a few seconds ago. He had a slight look of confusion on his face, mixed with a pained grimace from the head injury. His eyes drifted aimlessly around the car and found themselves looking at the rain soaked, bloodied other half of the tie lying on the ground. He reached down to pick it up. Despite being a simple clip-on tie, it looked reasonably nice. Much nicer than anything he'd ever seen, anyway. "S-s-sorry ab-bout the t-tie, Mr. Watt-t-terson" he said, slightly ashamedly "I-I'll p-pay for i-i-it"

"Eh… Don't worry about it" Richard said with a shrug. "I get 'em by the dozen at the dollar store anyway. Besides, that tie was getting a little worse for wear, especially after yesterday"

Nicole looked over at her husband and raised an eyebrow. "What happened yesterday?" she said with a bit of suspicion in her voice. The look in her eye made her husband sit upright anxiously.

"Umm… well… ya know how I sometimes play that game 'I am the President' with the boys?" said Richard nervously, trying to avoid direct eye contact with Nicole.

"Yes? And..?" said Nicole, narrowing her eyes, getting a bit more suspicious.

"Well… Gumball asked me to… jump in a dumpster" Richard explained, awkwardly scratching the back of his head as he spoke. "It was to train for the US Olympic Dumpster Diving team" he said with a nervous laugh. "And I just realized I hadn't gotten my tie cleaned since then" he finished his statement with a grin and a furrowed brow, trying to defuse the building tension.

Pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes, Nicole let out a deep sigh. "So… you're telling me I just rubbed a garbage covered tie all over a flesh wound?" The thought of making the stranger's injury worse made her shudder slightly.

"Mm-hmm" Richard replied, nodding his head. The smile melted from his face, but his brow remained firmly wrinkled.

She looked back at the stranger to gauge his reaction to the news that his makeshift bandage was covered in trash. He had already taken the tie away from his head, staring down at the dirty bit of fabric with a disgusted look on his face. Small bits of brownish gray stains were smeared on the areas of the tie not covered in bright red blood. The tie had smelled a little funny, but he didn't think it would be polite to mention it.

"Well… so much for cleaning that wound…" she said flatly with another sigh. "It's probably even more infected now". She turned away from the stranger and faced forward once again. "We really should just take you to the hospital before that thing gets any worse"

"The hospital?" Richard said, with a bit of confusion in his voice. "How're we gonna get to the hospital? The road's gonna be backed up for at least a few hours." The line of cars extending about a quarter mile in front of them hadn't moved an inch since they arrived. The accident recovery effort would clearly take a while, and it seemed like they wouldn't be able to get anywhere anytime soon.

A look of steely determination washed over Nicole's eyes. With a slight grin, she turned towards her husband. "Just leave that to me" she said with her voice lowered a little. "Are both of your seatbelts on?" she asked. Both Richard and the stranger nodded their heads in confirmation. "Good"

Nicole fixed her eyes on the view out the windshield. It was still pretty obscured by the heavy rain, but that didn't faze her one bit. With a single swift motion, she reached down for the gear lever and slammed into 'D'. She pulled the wheel hard to the right, aiming the car towards the edge of the road and onto a stretch of grass. The dull roar of the rain was replaced by the old station wagon's engine revving up to speed as they pulled away, accompanied by the slight squeak of the still slightly loose drive belt. Both Richard and the stranger shared a look of concern as the car suddenly began an impromptu off-road excursion. The car quickly left the relative safety of the pavement behind as it soldiered forth onto the rough patch of grass that ran alongside the road.

The old yellow car forced its way through the muddy grass. The tired, worn out suspension of the car rocked and heaved violently with each small bump and tiny rock the tires ran into. Despite the rough ride, Nicole kept the engine revving hard, trying to maintain a fairly high speed as the car meandered its way through the field.

"H-honey? Why are we going so fast?" Richard managed to eke out over the squeaky roar of the engine. Both Richard and the stranger were being tossed around the interior of the station wagon like popcorn in a microwave.

"If I slow down, we'll get stuck in the mud" Nicole said dryly. Her whole mind was singularly focused on the task of controlling the car as it kicked and lurched like an enraged bull whose nuts just got kicked. Her hands gripped the wheel as tightly as she could. Her heart rate elevated slightly as a small amount of adrenaline flowed to her brain. Despite her best efforts, the car was still rolling and shaking like crazy.

"I uhh… think I might be getting a little car sick…" Richard groaned as his face started to turn a shade of green. He could feel the contents of his stomach dancing around, demanding to be released from their acidic prison. His eyes widened as he felt something starting to come up his throat. He tried hard to force it back down, but it was too late. He clamped his mouth shut with both hands.

"Hey! Not in the car, Richard!" Nicole shouted as she noticed her husband's green face from the corner of her eye. "Do it out the window!"

Reaching down for the window handle, Richard cranked it open as quickly as his hand would let him. He could feel the seal of his lips starting to give way to the wave of semi-digested food (and bits of table) trying to break free. The glass of the window descended as though it were in free fall. With a final strain, Richard shot his head out the open window and into the waterfall-like rain. The floodgates of his mouth finally opened as the foul smelling semi-fluid gushed out, part of it hitting the side of the car door.

Wiping his mouth clean, Richard slowly leaned back into the car panting heavily. After he cranked the window back up, he closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm ... I'm… Okay" he managed to speak between gasps for breath. He leaned back in his seat to try and rest after his incident, only to be forced forwards by the car suddenly coming to a halt.

Nicole revved the engine hard, but the tires just spun in place, slipping on the thick mud formed by the torrential downpour. "No! No no no! C'mon, move damnit!" Nicole shouted at the car. With a few more attempts to move the car, she relented with a sigh. "Well… shit. Stuck in the damn mud" she said, defeated. She turned her head to look at her husband. He was still heaving slightly, trying to catch his breath after losing his dinner. "Richard, honey?" she said, a bit hesitantly "Could you uhh… get out and push?"

Still breathing hard, Richard looked over to his wife. "Alright…. Gimme a sec" he said between breaths. After regaining most of his composure, he reached over to the door handle and yanked on it firmly. He pushed the door open and stepped out into the storm. After closing the door with a 'thud', he trudged over to the rear of the car and braced himself against the bumper, getting ready to push.

"Okay, Push as hard as you can on the count of three!" Nicole shouted to her husband. He responded with a head nod. "Ready…? One, two, three!" with that, the car revved loudly, its tires desperately looking for grip. The car rocked forward's a few inches as Richard put a moderate amount of force into the car. "Harder, Richard!" Nicole shouted.

 _'Hehe… that's what she said'_ thought the stranger to himself, a tiny smirk on his face forming.

"I can't! I… just don't have the energy…" he yelled weakly. He was still pretty drained from losing his dinner, and his stomach began to grumble in hunger. He bent over and leaned against the car tiredly, trying to support himself.

"I'll get you something from JoyfullBurger!" bribed Nicole in a sing-songy voice, a big smile forming on her face.

With the promise of the legendary JoyfulBurger cuisine, Richard's ears perked up. A rush of energy coursed through his body. He suddenly found strength inside him he never knew existed. With a renewed sense of determination, he gave his wife a confident look. "Alright, let's try this again!" he shouted.

"One, two, three-eee!" shouted Nicole, her voice going up an octave on that last syllable. The force of Richard's push propelled the car forward with a massive jolt. As the car rocketed forwards, Nicole turned the wheel to point towards the road. Once the car was safely back on the pavement, Nicole looked back to signal her husband to come back to the car, only to find him still pushing like a freight train. "Richard? Sweetie? Come back in the car!"

Before he fully realized what was happening, Richard found himself still pushing the car despite the fact that they had rejoined the road already. Snapping out of his food-inspired burst of energy, he heard his wife shouting at him to get back in the car. His hands, still gripping the car's bumper, were covered in mud. As he released his hands from the chrome bumper, he noticed two hand-shaped indents from where he had been gripping the car. When he turned to walk back to the passenger door of the car, his legs nearly collapsed under his huge frame. His muscles felt like jelly after pushing over 5,000 Lbs. (2250 Kgs) of 1970's American automotive steel through ankle deep mud. He grabbed the side of the car, supporting some of his weight as he tiredly trudged over to the door.

Nicole watched as her husband – completely drained of energy and covered in a thick coating of fresh mud – reentered the car. He lazily slumped down in the seat, his massive weight shaking the car. Rain, sweat, and mud were still dipping off him and onto the floor. "You Okay, Richard?" Nicole asked her exhausted husband. His only response was a loud, low groan. "C'mon honey, stay with me," Nicole said gently to Richard as he was beginning to fall asleep.

Over the sound of his deep, loud breaths and the rain that was still falling on the car, Richard heard a light crinkling sound coming from his left. His eyes shot open, recognizing the sound. He whipped his head to look at his wife. She was holding an emergency candy bar she pulled out of her purse. The sight of the chocolatey rectangle emerging from the wrapper as Nicole opened it caused Richard's ears to stand straight. Richard took the candy with a grin and shivered with pure bliss as he munched on the chocolate. Nicole looked at her rejuvenated husband with a smile. Despite Richard's many shortcomings, he was always one to go the extra mile when his family really needed it.

"Mm… thanks for the pick-me up, honey!" Richard said between bites of candy, "I really needed that!" Polishing off the rest of the candy, Richard tuned to his wife. She was still looking at him, smiling. "So… off to the hospital now?" asked Richard.

With a simple nod in confirmation, Nicole shifted the car back into drive and headed off towards the hospital.


	5. Chapter 5: The Hospital (Part 1)

**Fresh off the grill, here's chapter 5! Sorry if it's a bit short, but I've decided to split this chapter up into multiple parts as it would be pretty long otherwise. also, chapter 4 was kind of a longer one, so i guess that makes up for it. Chapter 6 should be coming soon, (it's halfway done).**

 **Note: I'm not a doctor, merely a Computer Science student. If i get any medical terms wrong or anything like that, then you'll know why. anyway, please enjoy the 5th chapter!**

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After the three of them managed to get past the road block, the rest of the drive was fairly uneventful. As they neared the hospital, the stranger looked up through the rainy, blurry window and saw a massive, beautiful clean white structure. The stucco walls were spotless, and each one of the hospital's massive windows sparkled with raindrops in the moonlight. About half of the windows were brightly illuminated by a warm yellow fluorescent glow. Through the dim moonlight, the stranger could also see a rich, green garden surrounding the entrance. Though the sight of a boring old hospital with some shrubbery around it didn't stand out to Nicole and Richard, the mere fact that the building was free of graffiti and all its windows were fully intact made the young stranger's eyes wide with awe.

The car slowed to a gentle stop just outside the hospital's entrance, its old brakes squeaking slightly. Shifting the transmission into park with a clunk, Nicole took the keys out of the ignition. She stepped outside of the warm protection of the car and into the rain. She hurried over to the overhang above the hospital's entrance and turned around to make sure her husband and the stranger were following. Richard came jogging up right behind Nicole and joined her under the dry overhang. The stranger, however, had only just managed to get out of the car as he struggled to move as he still had a terrible limp in his left foot.

Limping slowly towards the door, the stranger kept his gaze down to concentrate on the task of getting inside. With each excruciating step he was slowly making progress. Planting his good leg firmly, he braced himself for another round of pain that would come when his left foot landed. To his surprise, as his injured left foot hit the ground, it didn't hurt much. What surprised him more was the feeling of something lifting his left side up. He looked up and found Nicole's right shoulder braced under his left arm.

"Let's get you inside," said Nicole kindly. Nicole easily managed to help the stranger move his large body over towards the entrance despite being nearly the same size as Richard.

With Nicole's help, the stranger was able to swiftly get to the door. Richard was waiting for them, keeping the door held open. He was leaning against the open door, still a little drained from pushing the car earlier. As the three of them passed though the hospital's entrance, they found themselves in a clean, white and grey lobby. A few people were sitting on some plastic chairs, waiting either to be admitted or for a loved one to be discharged. In the center of the lobby, a tired looking cupcake sat behind a receptions desk with a blank stare of boredom on her face. Her face was buried in her computer screen.

With the stranger still on her shoulder, Nicole hurried up to the desk. "Excuse me, miss?" said Nicole, trying to get the receptionist's attention.

The cupcake receptionist, without looking up from her computer screen, replied in a grainy, raspy voice. "Do you have an appointment?" asked the receptionist in a monotone voice.

"Well… no but we- "Nicole said, before being cut off by the receptionist.

"Do you need a prescription filled?" asked the receptionist, still speaking monotonously.

"What? No we just need-"responded Nicole getting a little frustrated, only to be interrupted again.

The receptionist reached under her desk and pulled out a massive stack of papers about three inches thick. She dropped it on the surface of the desk with a loud 'slam' in front of Nicole. Her eyes still didn't look away from her computer monitor. "Please fill these out and take a seat. Someone will be with you shortly."

Nicole's patience was beginning to wear thin. She looked down at the large stack of bureaucratic forms. "Look, we don't have time for this! This man needs medical attenti- "Nicole was interrupted again by the receptionist.

"Please fill out the paperwork. Someone will be around to see you shortly," said the receptionist sternly.

At this, Nicole snapped. She knocked the large stack of forms off the desk and into a flurry of paper as it floated down to the floor in a big pile. "Could you look away from your damn computer for just 10 seconds?!" she fumed at the receptionist "Can't you see that this man needs a doctor?!" Nicole was now glaring at the receptionist, her eyes filled with a gaze that would make a grown man pee his pants.

"Ma'am, there's no need to take that tone of voice with me," said the receptionist flatly. She finally turned away from the computer screen "If you have a complaint, you can fill it out in the-" Her words stopped dead in their tracks as soon has her eyes fell upon the sorry sight of the stranger. His head wound was starting to leak some sort of fluid – probably puss from infection. He was leaning steeply against Nicole, trying to keep as much weight off his left foot as possible. He was covered head to toe in dried mud and his clothes were tattered. The only bit of color visible anywhere on the stranger was his dull blue eyes.

The instant the receptionist saw the stranger, the bored look on her face was replaced by a look of shock and horror. "Jesus Christ! Why didn't you say something sooner?!" said the receptionist in a shrill voice that contrasted sharply with her usually flat, low demeanor. Her hands hastily fumbled for the phone on her desk. As she picked it up, she pressed the intercom button. "I need two nurses and a wheelchair in the lobby! Stat!" she said, practically shouting into the phone's mouthpiece.

Hardly 2 seconds after the receptionist had put the phone down, a pair of Band-Aid nurses came rushing into the lobby pushing the wheelchair. The nurses looked to the receptionist to see what the problem was. She merely pointed at the stranger, her hand slightly shaking. The nurses wasted no time in getting to work. They picked the stranger off his feet and placed him gently into the wheelchair. One of them grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and began rushing towards the clinic area. The other ran slightly ahead, clearing a path for the chair. Richard and Nicole ran closely after them.

Once at the clinic, the nurses continued running to the nearest available room. The first nurse flung the door open as the second wheeled the stranger inside. Nicole and Richard were about to enter as well, but one of the nurses stopped them.

"Sir, ma'am, please wait out here," said the nurse. He gestured his hand towards a wooden bench that was nearby before closing the door forcefully. Before the door was closed completely, Richard and Nicole saw one of the nurses helping the stranger up onto the table while the other donned a pair of white latex gloves.

The couple stood there, staring at the closed door for a few seconds, processing the rapid-fire sequence of events that just occurred. With a bit of a confused look on his face and a slightly raised eyebrow, Richard turned to his wife. "Seems like a lot of commotion for a simple cut on his head, huh?"

"Yeah… maybe it's more serious than we thought?" offered Nicole. The way the hospital staff was acting would make you think the stranger was in danger of dying.


	6. Chapter 6: The Hospital (Part 2)

**welp... heres chapter 6! Sorry it took so long to update, I was taking a welding class this week (TIG welding steel, aluminum, and stainless for anyone wondering).**

 **also, sorry if it kinda sorta slightly seems like not a whole lot happens in this chapter. Originally, there was gonna be a very big, juicy plot development point in this chapter, (well, originally it was supposed to be in chapter 3), but it'd make the chapter too long to include it. I try to keep my chapters around 1500-1800 words long, and including the big plot thing would put it well past 2500. Not that chapter length matters, i just like to be consistent.**

 **Chapter 7 should be out much sooner, as my welding class is ending. Plus, i had a bit of writer's block for chapter 6.**

 **anyway, please enjoy chaptero numbero 6!**

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Roughly 30 minutes had passed since the stranger was rushed to the clinic area. The stranger was resting on a hospital bed in a turquoise colored room.

There was a small television on a shelf mounted on the far wall; it looked at least 30 years old. On his left, there was a pair of windows obscured by closed curtains. A small amount of moonlight was leaking past the edges of the curtains, but was almost totally outshined by a set of bright fluorescent tubes mounted on the ceiling. The lights were buzzing quietly with a familiar 60 hertz hum. To his right, a small window situated next to the door revealed the hallway just outside the room.

Through the window, he could see Richard and Nicole, sitting on a wooden bench. They were both sleeping, with Nicole resting her head on Richard's shoulder. The stranger didn't know exactly what time it was, but he could feel that it was pretty late.

Apart from various pieces of expensive-looking medical equipment, there was hardly anything else in the small room. A dull pain was emanating from the fresh stitches on his head. A piece of white bandage was wrapped around the left half of his head, obscuring the vision in his left eye.

One of the two nurses tending to the stranger was adjusting a bag of clear liquid medication hooked up to the stranger's arm before he was called away by his pager. The remaining nurse was discarding a pair of white latex gloves that were smeared with small traces of blood. He pulled out a small flashlight and shone it in the stranger's right eye and examined it carefully.

"Vision looks good – in the right eye at least," said the nurse as he scribbled something on a clipboard. He turned his head to look at the stranger. "Sir, do you know where you are?" the nurse asked.

"H-hosp-pital?" replied the stranger weakly. "A-am I g-gonna be o-okay?" he asked.

"Good… Patient is fully conscious…" mumbled the nurse as he scribbled something else on the clipboard. "Have you always had a stutter?"

"Y-y-yes, but n-not as b-b-bad," replied the stranger. "Will I b-be ok-kay?" asked the stranger, repeating his question now with a bit more fear in his voice.

The nurse again ignored his question. He scribbled more somethings on the clipboard. "Do you remember how you got that head wound?" he asked flatly.

"N-no…" replied the stranger. He opened his mouth to repeat his question a third time, but the nurse cut him off quickly.

"What's the last thing you do remember?" questioned the nurse.

"Uh... I r-r-remember a l-long road… a-and I-I s-saw a-a c-car – their c-cc-car," said the stranger as he pointed at Richard and Nicole through the window on his right. "Th-hey picked m-me up a-and t-took me h-here." The stranger looked the nurse square in the eye. "Now p-please… c-can you t-t-tell me i-if I'll b-b-be okay?" he said slightly nervously.

The nurse jotted more stuff down on the clipboard. "I uhh… gotta go consult with some colleagues" said the nurse quickly. Tucking the clipboard under his arm, he turned away from the stranger and hurried towards the door. He was reaching for the door handle when he heard the stranger speak up behind him.

"H-hey! A-answer me!" said the stranger, a mixture of anger and fear in his voice, "Please… t-tell me… A-a-am I g-going t-to be okay? I m-mean… it's j-just a cut on m-my head, r-right?"

The nurse took a deep sigh and released his hand from the door knob. He turned around slowly to look back at the stranger. "Look kid, it's not the head wound you need to worry about," said the nurse somberly. "The wound itself should heal nicely. The main issue is the impact that caused it. We're concerned it may have caused some brain trauma." The nurse sighed again. "There are a few unknowns right now. Just… just hang tight. Is there anything you want me to get you? Something to eat maybe?"

The stranger's stomach grumbled loudly in hunger. "W-well… S-some food w-would be n-nice," said the stranger softly. He couldn't remember the last meal he ate, but based off the hunger pains in his stomach, he estimated it was maybe a day or two.

"Alright, I'll see what they got in the cafeteria," said the nurse with a smile. The nurse turned to exit the room once again, only to be stopped by the stranger a second time.

"W-wait…" said the stranger hesitantly. He'd just realized that he'd be completely alone once the nurse left. The thought of being by himself made him feel uneasy, though he wasn't completely sure why.

The nurse turned around again and faced the stranger. "Hmm? Something else you need?" asked the nurse.

"J-just… could y-you get th-those t-two in h-h-here? P-please?" asked the stranger timidly, pointing to the Watersons through the window.

"Sure thing, kid," replied the nurse. He pushed the door to the room open and walked over to the bench Richard and Nicole were sitting on. As he neared the pair, he noticed they were asleep. It was pretty late after all. "Err... excuse me?" he said hesitantly to the sleeping pair. Nicole was the first to stir.

"Hmm? Who's there?" she said sleepily, rubbing her eye. She craned her neck and looked up at the nurse with a questioning look.

"The patient you brought in earlier wanted to see you two," said the nurse, gesturing his hand over towards the room.

Nicole sat upright on the bench, now mostly awake. "Is everything alright with him?"she asked , a bit concerned.

"For now, everything should be fine. I still need to speak with the neurologist on duty to confirm," replied the nurse. As if on cue, a man wearing a brown tie, yellow dress shirt, brown pants and a bright white lab coat walked by.

"Speaking of him, there's the neurologist now," said the Band-Aid nurse as he ran off to catch up with the neurologist. "Uh, excuse me? Dr. Butt?" he said as he jogged after him.

The nurse's sudden departure had startled Richard out of his sleep. Much like Nicole, he rubbed his eyes and blinked several times. "Huh? W-what's going on?" he groaned softly, struggling a little to regain consciousness.

"It's that hitchhiker we picked up. The nurse said he wanted to see us," said Nicole to her half-awake husband. She stood up from the bench and began to cross the hallway towards the door. Richard followed right behind her.

The door to the stranger's room opened slowly with a slight squeak. Richard and Nicole walked quietly through the open doorframe as their eyes fell upon the stranger's bandaged head. Their faces scrunched up at the thought of the stranger's condition. Thanks to the painkillers, the stranger wasn't in much discomfort, though he did look pretty grim.

At the sight of the married couple that had gotten him here, a small but warm smile crossed the stranger's face. He felt relieved to see their familiar faces. Noticing the stranger's smile as an indication of good spirits, Richard decided to speak first.

"Feeling better?" asked Richard hopefully, speaking in a soft, quiet tone.

"Mm-hmm" replied the stranger in affirmation. "Th-thank you for b-bringing m-me h-h-here, to the h-hospit-tal I m-mean" he added in a slightly hoarse voice.

"Not at all," Nicole responded with a reassuring tone. "The nurse told us that you wanted to see us," Nicole added with a trace of curiosity in her voice. "Is everything alright?"

"O-oh. W-w-ell… its j-just… I…" the stranger fumbled for words, but couldn't think of anything coherent to say.

' _Crap… what do I say? I'm not even sure why I wanted them here in the first place'_ thought the stranger to himself. ' _Was… was I worried about being left alone?'_ He had a look of worry and embarrassment on his face. The stranger's mind continued to search for a suitable answer to Nicole's question when she suddenly answered it herself.

"Just wanted some company, then?" said Nicole as the answer came to her instinctively. Years of raising children had honed her ability to read faces.

The stranger's face turned slightly red with embarrassment. "Y-yeah… I g-guess so" responded the stranger softly, avoiding direct eye contact with either Nicole or Richard. "I-I m-mean… only i-if you're ok-kay w-with it," he added, his voice lowering further.

"Why wouldn't we be?" asked Nicole, a little surprised at the strangers reservation. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"W-well… ph-physic-cally, I s-should be f-fine, b-but the n-n-nurse said s-something ab-b-bout brain t-trauma…" replied the stranger, his voice trailing off at the end.

Nicole's eyes widened and her ears folded flat against the back of her head. Her jaw was slightly agape in disbelief. "Brain trauma?" she exclaimed, her facial expression changing from shock to concern. "Jeez… no wonder they rushed you in here so fast."

"Y-yeah… th-thankf-fully it d-doesn't h-hurt too b-bad. Th-they gave m-me some p-p-pain meds," said the stranger, trying to lighten the mood a tiny bit.

The three of them heard the door knob turn, followed by the slight squeak of the door's hinges as it was opened. The nurse walked back into the room, carrying a small white polystyrene box. Following him was the neurologist on duty: Doctor Butt. The doctor was carefully studying a clipboard full of charts. After a few seconds of scanning the paper, the doctor looked up.

"So... this is the brain trauma patient," he said, eyeing up the stranger. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Doctor Butt, head neurologist here at Elmore General."

He walked over to the bed and placed the clipboard down near the foot of the bed. "I've got a couple of things I need to discuss with you, young man" said the doctor with a very serious expression, looking the stranger square in the eye.

The doctor's stare made the stranger sweat slightly, a look of fear flooded his face. "Am… Am I g-g-gonna d-die?" stammered the stranger.

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 **Author's note: so... i was just re-reading this about 40 mins after posting it. I got to thinking (as i often do) and i kinda feel like the quality of writing in this chapter is a bit lacking compared to earlier ones. I don't think i'm gonna re-write it (i'm far too lazy for that), but despite my laziness, i do like to put out good work. So, sorry if you were slightly not super thrilled with this chapter.**

 **TBH, i feel like things moved a little too fast in this chapter, and like the interactions were a little 'meh'. If you have any suggestions on how to make it better, Please let me know.**


	7. Chapter 7: Flashback 0

**Oh wow... Ok so, this chapter's a bit of a doozy. All last week at welding school, I've been playing this chapter out in my mind and i could hardly wait to post it! I know this chapter is pretty long, (although chapter 4 is longer by like 10 words or so), but i really had alot to say here!**

 **so... that thing i mentioned that was supposed to originally go in chapter 3 is finnaly gonna make it debut here in chapter 7! so thats cool.**

 **Also, yes I'm aware that I've diverted from the traditional TAWOG naming scheme of "The _". I could call this chapter 'the flashback', but I plan on more of those in the future. If you're wondering "Why didn't he call it 'Flashback 1' ?", it's because in computer science, we start counting from 0.**

 **Also also, while writing this chapter I've been listening to the song '** **Dayvan Cowboy** ' **by 'Boards of Canada'. It's really good chill-out music. Some of their stuff is pretty strange though.**

 **But enough of my ramblings, i was just really giddy to get this chapter out there. (I was literally squealing like a schoolgirl) I feel really really good about this chapter, and i hope you love it. Please enjoy chapter 7!**

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The stranger's question of death caught the doctor off guard, but years of experience giving bad news to patients had allowed him to maintain his composure. "Die? Not at all," he said warmly. "In fact, you should be able to leave the hospital tonight."

The stranger's face changed from fear to relief with a hint of confusion. "B-but isn't b-brain traum-m-ma seri-i-ous?" asked the stranger.

"Normally, it would be. Thankfully, I didn't see any major damage on the CT scans. There is some slight swelling however. That explains your memory loss." The doctor turned his attention back towards the clipboard in his hand. After a few seconds of reading, he turned back towards the stranger. "So… you say the last thing you recall was being picked up by these two?" he asked, gesturing towards the Wattersons. The stranger nodded in reply.

"Hopefully you should start recalling more in a few hours. The anti-inflammatory medication should kick in by then, "said the doctor. He pulled out a small pad of prescriptions and began writing. "Oh… what's your name by the way?" he asked the stranger, "I'll need it for the prescription."

The stranger looked away from the doctor, his face getting slightly red with embarrassment. "I uh… c-can't remem-m-mber" he said shamefully.

This surprised the doctor, but still he maintained his professionalism. "I'll have to increase the dosage in that case," he said, furrowing his brow. "Do uhh… do you remember your age? " asked the doctor hopefully "I can't legally prescribe this high of a dose to a minor."

"E-eight-t-teen," the stranger managed to eke out in a raspy voice. "I'm e-eighteen". The look of embarrassment was beginning to fade from the stranger's face, replaced with a somewhat more relaxed expression. He felt a bit better that he could at least remember how old he was.

The doctor frowned at the stranger's quick answer. Patients lying to get more medication had become a serious concern in the past few years. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Got anything to prove that? Like a driver's license or something?" he asked, not entirely convinced the stranger was being honest.

"N-n-not r-really, no…" said the stranger sadly.

"Well… is there anyone who can vouch for you? Neighbors? Schoolmates? Your parents?" asked the doctor, still suspicious of the stranger.

The mention of the word parents made something click in the young stranger's mind. The medication was already starting to take effect and relieve some pressure on his brain. Though it was fuzzy and muffled, a few shards of a memory came rushing into his thoughts. His eyes bolted open wide as the events of the past flooded into him.

Suddenly the stranger found himself surrounded by bright orange lights. The memory was pretty hazy, so it was difficult to make out what exactly was going on. Dull warmth surrounded his body. Actually, it wasn't dull. In fact it was very warm. Hot even, almost like a furnace. As the memory cleared up a bit, he could see the orange lights better. They revealed themselves to be large waving flames, dancing about as they consumed the walls of the building. He looked at the walls covered in fire. The wallpaper seemed familiar, though it was still too fuzzy to make out.

He heard a cough from behind him. Turning around to find the source of the noise, his eyes fell upon two figures pinned under a large wooden beam. Despite the fuzziness of the memory, the figures' faces were clear as crystal. He recognized them instantly. A pair of beavers, looking much like him, were lying trapped right in front of him. On the left, His mother was unconscious and breathing weakly. Having a bit of a stocker, studier build, his father wasn't quite knocked out by the beam.

He locked eyes with his father. The heavy beam made it difficult for his father to breath, much less speak, but a burst of adrenaline allowed the dying man to say a few last words to his son.

"T-tyler…" gasped his father. "Tyler…son, p-please… get out, get to s-safety." Tears were falling out of the man's eyes, but were quickly evaporated by the intense heat of the fire.

"No!" shouted Tyler "No! Please, get up dad!" he shouted as tears filled his face and smoke filled his lungs.

"I…*cough* I can't." his father gasped for air, only to get a mouthful of soot. "Please son, y-you can still *cough* still make it." His voice was getting quieter and weaker. He wasn't long for this world.

"Not without you and mom!" shouted Tyler, his voice unsteady as the waterfall of tears increased.

A loud creak emanated from the floor below them. The house was falling apart as the flames vigorously tore into the once sturdy wooden frame. Beams that had once protected the family from the harsh storms and weather of the past were now trapping them inside the inferno. The floor shifted ominously beneath the trapped parents. It was only a matter of seconds now.

One last burst of strength allowed Tyler's father to give his son his final words. "Tyler… *cough* … no matter what hap-*cough* happens… remember. Your mom and I will al-*cough* always be with you… right here." He pointed to his son's heart. Tyler grabbed his father's hand and held it tightly.

His parent's faces were now as fuzzy has the rest of the surroundings. Not because the memory was fading, but because his eyes were drenched in tears. His father returned Tyler's grip as they locked fingers. Father and son shared one final embrace as the floor creaked again. A massive hole opened up beneath his parents as they fell to the floor below.

The last thing Tyler recalled was the feeling of his father's hand slipping from his own as he watched his parents fall and be crushed under the massive wooden beam, along with a mountain of still flaming debris and rubble.

Snapping back to reality, Tyler found himself again facing the doctor, nurse, Richard and Nicole. A steady stream of tears ran down the sides of his face, soaking the pillow in sadness. He lay there for a second, processing what he had just remembered. Recalling the doctor's question, Tyler spoke up in a very weak and shuddery voice.

A few short seconds passed, but to Tyler they seemed like long, torturous hours. "M-m-my p-p-parents… are d-d-dead," he said meekly with a look of anguish, tears streaming out of his dull blue eyes. He slammed his eyes shut, causing more tears to roll down his cheek. He tried hiding his eyes, but it was too late. Everyone had seen the look of pain on his face. "I-I-I…. I'm s-sorry." He whispered, barely audible.

He braced himself, waiting for the worst. He didn't know why, but he felt like showing his emotions, especially to strangers, was a sign of weakness; a sign of uselessness. He sat there, waiting for sounds of ridiculing laughter, a feeling that felt all too familiar. Curled up in as small a ball as his large frame would allow, he shivered slightly, waiting for them to say something. He sat there for what felt like forever. The only sound he heard was soft hum of the florescent lights illuminating the room. Finally he felt a hand against his shoulder. _Here it comes_ he thought. But it wasn't a painful strike he felt. Not at all; in fact, it was a sensation of re-assurance and comfort. Not being familiar with the emotion, he carefully opened a teary eye. What he saw was a large pink arm extending out from Richard.

"H-hey… it's okay" Richard said softly. "Just calm down, alright?" Not really sure what to do next, Richard just stood there with his hand on Tyler's shoulder.

Richard's outburst of kindness surprised Tyler. It wasn't something he was used to. Tyler sat there motionless, like a deer in headlights. The medication kicking in a little stronger now, fragments of memories of being beaten mercilessly came to him. In most of the memories, he was crying, curled up in a ball much like now. In none of them was there anyone to turn to for aid, let alone someone to comfort him.

"It's gonna be okay," Richard said. It made Tyler feel a little better, but he was still a little tense. He relaxed a little, releasing himself from his curled-up ball. He wiped the tears from his eye and saw a look of worry on both Richard and Nicole's faces. _Why are these two people – total strangers no less – even concerned about me at all?_ He thought.

A few seconds of awkward silence passed. The doctor, being a busy man, spoke first "I uhh… I'm sorry…" said the doctor softly. "I really hate to do this… but I must insist…" the doctor winced at what he was about to ask, knowing full well what the answer would be. "Is there anyone… anyone at all who can confirm your story? Or at least an adult who can claim responsibility for you?"

Tyler looked back at the doctor with a red, puffy, teary eye. He shook his head slowly.

The doctor took another deep sigh. "I…I'm sorry. Legally, I can't give this prescription to you without some identification or someone to hold accountable," He said somberly. He reached down, took the half-filled prescription paper and gripped it in both hands, preparing to tear it up.

"Wait…" Nicole said tearfully. The stranger's situation pulled hard on her heartstrings, like a ship anchor pulling on its chain. After a second, she built up enough courage to say what her heart was demanding to be said. "I…I'll do it," she said quietly.

The doctor looked at Nicole with a look of confusion. "Do what?" he asked, a little perplexed.

"I mean I'll claim guardianship of him… " clarified Nicole, her voice a little unsteady. Part of her couldn't believe what she was saying, but deep in her heart she knew this was the right thing to do. Though she had no way of knowing just what Tyler just saw in his mind, she could tell by his reaction that he recalled something truly soul crushing.

The doctor put the prescription back down on the clipboard. He turned to look at Tyler, a small tear brought to his eye. "Kid," he said with eyes starting to well up, "you're the luckiest person alive right now."

Tyler couldn't believe what he was hearing. A few short hours ago, Nicole was a complete stranger to him. Now there she stood, about to technically claim Tyler as an adopted son, or at the very least a legal dependent. Questions started buzzing in his mind. _Is this really happening? Is she just messing with me? Is this just a cruel dream?_ Tyler lay on the bed completely motionless as his mind whirred away, trying to make sense of the situation.

Meanwhile, the doctor was scribbling away at the prescription pad. As he was filling out some legal records, he came across the section for the patient's name. He turned towards Nicole with a bit of an uneasy look on his face. "Uhmm… Mrs. Watterson?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" she answered deep in thought.

"Is it… is it alright if I use your last name for the records?" inquired the doctor.

"I…I suppose so," she said gently.

With the last name sorted, the doctor still had to write something down for the patient's first name. He faced towards Tyler now. "I need to record something for your first name… should I just put down something random?" he asked.

"T-tyler" he replied. He looked up at the doctor, a small but confident smile adorning his face. "M-My name… I r-r-remember it n-now. It's Tyler," he said triumphantly.

The doctor finished writing out the prescription and handed it to Tyler. Despite being a simple prescription for some anti-swelling medication, he felt like it was his most prized possession. Under 'Patient' written in bright blue ink, was the name 'Tyler Watterson'.

* * *

 **so... there's chapter 7! I really hope you liked it. that chapter 3 thing i mentioned earlier was the crying bit where Tyler curled up in a ball and Richard comforted him. Cant believe i wrote 4 whole chapters just to give 3 paragraphs a better lead up!**

 **I had a thought just after i finished this chapter. I thought that i COULD THEORETICALLY end the story here, on a happy note with the whole "happily ever after" sentiment. I have NO intention of stopping as there are a good chunk of ideas i want to explore with this story.**

 **If anyone want's to beta read for me, feel free to PM me.**

 **(8/25/2017): Sorry i haven't updated anything in like a week. I'm NOT dead, and i'n NOT abandoning the story. truth is, i've just been really lazy. writers block+adhd+videogames = slow writing. anyway, i just wanted to assure you that progress is being made. chapter 8 is about 20% done or so, plus it actually has a rough outline (unlike all my previous chapters).**

 **(9/15/2017): again, sorry i havent been active. same issues as before. just wanted to assure you im still not dead and still not abandoning the story. chapter 8 might be done this weekend, so look forward to that.**

 **(9/22/2017): still not abandoning the story yet. good chance of working on it this weekend.**

 **(10/17/2017): okay so i know it looks like I'm dead, but I'm not. I've been dealing with some personal stuff recently (but a certain someone has been a HUGE help. You know who you are, and I love you!). Anyway, i'll probably not do much writing until school gets less hectic. Maybe during winter break i'll write something.**


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